Registration opens for 2017 World Canals Conference

Registration for the 2017 World Canals Conference is now open. Set to take place in Syracuse, N.Y. on Sept. 24-28, attendees will enjoy the conference while celebrating the bicentennial of the Erie Canal.

Attendees interested in the conference, themed “Our Vital Waterways: Agents of Transformation,” can register at wcc2017syracuse.com.

Pricing is as follows:

Early-bird (through April 7):

  • Inland Waterways International member: $550
  • General audience: $575

After April 7:

  • Inland Waterways International member: $600
  • General audience: $625

Other conference registration levels:

  • Students: $250
  • One day: $250

Optional Activities:

  • Pre-Conference Tour (Sept. 22-23): $800 per person double occupancy, $900 single
  • Pre-Conference Tour with “Canal Shipwrecks of Lake Champlain” early-bird extra (Sept. 22-23): $1,065 double, $1,200 single
  • Post-Conference Tour (Sept. 28-30): $1,000 per person double occupancy, $1,250 single

“We’re one step closer to the interchange of ideas and innovations from the industry’s greatest minds,” said World Canals Conference Honorary Chair Dr. Cornelius B. “Neil” Murphy Jr., SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry past president. “Each year, the WCC brings hundreds of canal enthusiasts, professionals and scholars from around the world together to discuss canals and inland waterways as a means to promote tourism, spur economic and community development, improve environmental quality and exchange best practices on protection strategies for these historic sites.”

The 2017 WCC at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown is expected to draw hundreds of international delegates and thousands of local and regional residents to waterfront events. The conference will feature formal presentations, study tours of canal sites and communities, central New York dining experiences and a variety of exciting public events. Co-hosted by the New York State Canal Corporation, Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and Visit Syracuse, and sponsored by I Love NY and National Grid, along with many other businesses and foundations, the conference is slated to have a $2 million indirect economic impact for the city of Syracuse.

The five-day conference will be held as the historic Erie Canal, now a National Historic Landmark, commemorates its bicentennial. The distinction is the nation’s highest historic designation. The designation includes the Erie, Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga-Seneca canals, all enlarged versions of waterways that were initially constructed during the 1820s.

“The Syracuse region welcomes waterway experts, business leaders and global professionals with open arms for WCC 2017,” Visit Syracuse President David Holder said. “We look forward to inspiring innovative thinking, transformation and the exploration of canals in our modern world.”

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button